Distribution Labor Force Changes With Global Manufacturing

Increasingly manufacturers have outsourced production overseas, leaving the distribution and warehousing function with increasing importance. Unlike other staffing organizations, 100% of ProLogistix recruiting efforts are centered around warehouse and distribution positions. Branch staff is trained in logistics, and they understand the intricacies of the industry. Staff is not spending time testing and interviewing bookkeepers, data entry clerks, and construction workers. ProLogistix is fortunate to have built a reputation in the communities served as the "go-to" company when seeking a job in a warehouse or distribution center.

According to Brian Devine, division vice-president of ProLogistix, “The staffing industry was doing a poor job servicing warehouse and distribution companies with talented employees. At ProLogistix, we created the most comprehensive application process for logistics employees in the industry. We use our selection process to evaluate a candidate's specific knowledge and experience, and we then match qualifications to the positions for which we are recruiting. The combination of an exclusive focus on logistics, screening tools utilized in the application process, and the experience of branch staff makes ProLogistix the leading provider of logistics talent in the country.”

ResourceMFG, the sister division to ProLogistix places manufacturing specific positions. Devine explained the differentiation between the two organization by noting, “The way we differentiate between which clients are best served by ResourceMFG or ProLogistix is to ask what the company does. If they manufacture products, then they are best suited to ResourceMFG; if they distribute products, then ProLogistix is the right staff solution.”

The types of warehouse and distribution positions ProLogistix fills include:
• Loaders and Unloaders
• Order Selectors
• Warehouse Associates
• Shipping and Receiving
• Forklift Operators
• Quality Assurance
• Supervisors
• Warehouse Managers
• Operations Manager


SOURCE:
http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/distribution-labor-force-changes-with-global-manufacturing-129133.html

What Can a Global Positioning System Do?

Have you been in the market for a Global Positioning System (GPS)? If you are new to the world of GPS systems, you may find it confusing as there are many different systems available. Begin by researching the leading brands such as Garmin, TomTom, Magellan, and Navignon. A GPS is not only a map. Features differ from one GPS system to another, but some systems can find restaurants or gas stations, play games, find alternate routes to help you avoid traffic, and play satellite radio. Before buying a GPS, think about your expectations and in what ways you plan to use it.

The military designed GPS systems and they have been approved for use by civilians. In less than 20 years, GPS devices have become commonly included in cell phones, boats, automobiles, and hand-held devices. Initially unaffordable for the general public, now GPS systems are inexpensive and can be bought for under $200 for a nice unit. There are lots of different brands out there with many different features and map types for site navigation, so make sure to check out the reviews as well as comparison shop.

According to the company website, "Garmin is founded on the principles of innovation, convenience, performance, value, and service." Established in 1989, today Garmin is actually the best-known North American brand name in Global Positioning Systems. The company is located in Kansas and does not use outsourcing at all. They handle the design, manufacture, marketing, and sales in-house. They provide GPS navigation systems for a variety of purposes, such as fitness, automobiles, hikers/campers, aviation, boating, and site navigation for geocachers.

Besides Garmin, another GPS systems leader is Magellan, with their top model being the Magellan Maestro 4250, which costs between $90 and $279 online. The TomTom ONE XL 330-S is the most popular offering by Dutch manufacturer TomTom. Pricing starts at $249. Navignon's most popular item is the 2100 Max Portable Navigator, priced as low as $248. A variety of features are available such as wide screens, customization options, text-to-speech functionality, and more. Not only do GPS units provide basic maps and point of interest locators, many can also help you locate hospitals, drug stores, and roadside assistance. Lane assist and reality view maps are also available options.

When deciding which GPS device to purchase, be sure to notice the number of "points of interest" that each offers. Anything under two million will cause frustration, with the ideal figure being about six million. Also consider the size of the screen, which can be as small as 2.1 inches, or as large as 7 inches. While large screens are optimal for vehicular use, smaller screens would be preferable if you are considering a GPS unit for hiking purposes. Select a GPS with good functional features that let you switch maps or search points of interest by tapping a button or two. Lately, additional cutting-edge features have been introduced for the higher quality GPS systems such as multi-destination tracking, satellite radio, audio book player, and enhanced MP3 player capacity. Keep in mind that knowing what you are going to use your GPS for and taking the time to do proper research will guarantee you find a suitable GPS system for all your needs.


SOURCE:
http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Can-a-Global-Positioning-System-Do?&id=2206096

Service Offerings from Global Manufacturing Services

Engineering and product development solution providers helps manufacturing organizations across the world to improve quality of supply, reduce time to market, grow capacity, increase revenue generation and reduce overall cost of product development. Above all they aid in enhancing sustenance engineering which is the most important aspect for a manufacturing company to grow.

They offer services in specializations like precision manufacturing, sheet metal fabrication, special processing, design and development of tooling, fixtures and gauges for aerospace, automotive and industrial verticals. They posses huge integrated engineering and manufacturing capabilities that uses the best-in-class manufacturing processes, state-of-the-art technologies and technically competent teams to aid the client organizations.


These service firms are flexible, adopt a modular approach from design to manufacturing and are able to provide customized, end-to-end solutions to the customers. These capabilities help in reducing cost and increasing value for the clients. They support a wide range of services for manufacturing organizations which include areas from precision machining to industries like aerospace, automotive etc.

Precision Machining – Service offerings in precision machining activities include machining from bar stock, billets, forgings and castings.

Design and Build – Service offerings in design and build capabilities include end-to-end support in test rigs, machining center fixtures.

Special Processing - Service offerings in this area include joint ventures with aerospace giants in the respective client country.

Aerospace - Service offerings in this area focuses on manufacturing process planning, assembly process planning, tooling design and development, value engineering and value analysis, reverse engineering, assembly tooling design & development and CNC program coding.

Automotive - Service offerings in this area includes automotive design solutions and building of supply chain process to house component to sub systems manufacturing and special processing suppliers.

Industrial Products - Service offerings in this area includes sourcing of large castings, forgings, power generation equipment like hydro, steam and gas turbines for the process industry.


SOURCE:

http://www.a1articles.com/article_1105540_15.html

Building Boards, Bricks and Other Concrete Product Manufacturing in Australia

Industry Market Research Synopsis: This Industry Market Research report provides a detailed analysis of the Building Boards, Bricks and Other Concrete Product Manufacturing in Australia industry, including key growth trends, statistics, forecasts, the competitive environment including market shares and the key issues facing the industry.


Industry Definition



The Building Boards, Bricks and Other Concrete Product Manufacturing industry consists of establishments that manufacture concrete products (except concrete pipes or box culverts). This industry produces a wide range of building and construction concrete products such as bricks, blocks, tiles (wall, floor and roof), pavers, cement fibre boards, precast panels, railway sleepers, posts, beams, and poles. This industry includes the manufacture of aerated and concrete composite products.



Report Contents



The Key Statistics chapter provides the key indicators for the industry for at least the last three years. The statistics included are industry revenue, industry gross product, employment, establishments, exports, imports, domestic demand and total wages.


The Market Characteristics chapter covers the following: Market Size, Linkages, Demand Determinants, Domestic and International Markets, Basis of Competition and Life Cycle. The Market Size section gives the size of the domestic market as well as the size of the export market. The Linkages section lists the industry's major supplier and major customer industries. The Demand Determinants section lists the key factors which are likely to cause demand to rise or fall. The Domestic and International Markets section defines the market for the products and services of the industry. This section provides the size of the domestic market and the proportion accounted for by imports and exports and trends in the levels of imports and exports. The Basis of Competition section outlines the key types of competition between firms within the industry as well as highlighting competition from substitute products in alternative industries. The Life Cycle section provides an analysis of which stage of development the industry is at.



The Segmentation chapter covers the following: Products and Service Segmentation, Major Market Segments, Industry Concentration and Geographic Spread. The Products and Service Segmentation section details the key products and/or services provided by this industry, highlighting the most important where possible to demonstrate which have a more significant influence over industry results as a whole. The Major Market Segments section details the key client industries and/or groups as well as giving an indication as to which of these are the most important to the industry. The Industry Concentration section provides an indicator of how much industry revenue is accounted for by the top four players. The Geographic Spread section provides a guide to the regional share of industry revenue/gross product.


The Industry Conditions chapter covers the following: Barriers to Entry, Taxation, Industry Assistance, Regulation and Deregulation, Cost Structure, Capital and Labor Intensity, Technology and Systems, Industry Volatility and Globalization. The Barriers to Entry section outlines factors that can prevent a new company from entering this industry and also gives an indication of the extent to which this occurs. The Taxation section details all kinds of taxation that are specific or are particularly important to this industry, including taxation concessions. The Industry Assistance section refers to any government and/or other measures designed to improve the performance of this industry. The Regulation and Deregulation section details any applicable regulation and/or deregulation to this industry. The Cost Structure section details the average costs for a company operating in this industry as a percentage of total revenue. The Capital and Labor Intensity section provides a guide to the amount of capital used in production/providing a service compared to the amount of labor in the total mix of inputs. The Technology and Systems section acknowledges the latest technology and/or systems available to this industry within the country. Technology refers to machinery and equipment and systems refers to methods of production that enable better and more efficient production. The Industry Volatility section refers to the year on year fluctuations which occur in industry output. The Globalization section gives an indication of the extent to which the industry is global based on factors such as the level of foreign ownership, the proportion of demand accounted for by foreign operators and the volume of production conducted in other countries.


The Performance chapter provides an analysis of both the industry's Current Performance and Historical Performance. The Current Performance section provides the key analysis for the industry over the past five years with key performance indicators discussed. The Historical Performance section details previously important events in the development of the industry.


The Key Competitors chapter lists the major players in the industry as well as an analysis of each major player's activities in the industry. Market share
information is included where possible.


The Key Factors chapter covers the industry's Key Sensitivities and Key Success Factors. The Key Sensitivities section outlines the key factors that are outside the control of an operator in the industry, but are likely to have significant impact on a business. The Key Success Factors section details the factors within the control of an industry operator and which should be followed in order to be successful in the industry. Often this will include behavior that will help to minimize the effects of the Key Sensitivities.


The Outlook chapter is a key analysis section of the report and outlines expectations for the key industry indicators over the next five year period, including forecasts.





Table of Contents:


INDUSTRY DEFINITION
Activities (Products and Services)
Similar Industries
Other Related Industries

KEY STATISTICS
Current Prices
Constant Prices
Real Growth
Ratio Table

SEGMENTATION
Products and Service Segmentation
Major Market Segments
Industry Concentration
Geographic Spread

MARKET CHARACTERISTICS
Market Size
Linkages
Demand Determinants
Domestic and International Markets
Basis of Competition

Life Cycle

INDUSTRY CONDITIONS
Barriers to Entry
Taxation
Industry Assistance
Regulation and Deregulation
Cost Structure
Capital and Labour Intensity
Technology and Systems
Industry Volatility
Globalisation

KEY FACTORS
Key Sensitivities
Key Success Factors

KEY COMPETITORS
Major Players
Player Performance
Other Players

INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE
Current Performance
Historical Performance




SOURCE:
http://www.articlealley.com/article_662458_15.html

Low Cost & Dependable Manufacturing IT Solutions

The automotive industry is facing challenging times. While on one hand consumers demand better features and functionalities, on the other regulations and compliance norms have become stringent & the raw material prices have escalated. This is one of the main reasons, automotive OEMs & Tier 1s are moving from High-Cost-Centers to Low-Cost-Centers in a pursuit to build better products at a faster pace and lower costs.

Today's collaborative manufacturing industry, needs to implement innovative enterprise-wide manufacturing IT solutions in the verticals of Automotive, Industrials and Hi-Tech, to face the challenges of shrinking lifecycles, faster time-to-market, global sourcing and mass customization. Process-centric manufacturing IT solutions and expertise in Supply Chain Management (SCM), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), etc., most definitely help manufacturing companies in leveraging their productivity, profitability and help achieve new levels of efficiency.

Partnering with global manufacturing organizations ensures the products reach their target market faster because of their globalized processes which is a reflection of domain-intensive technology, process expertise and uncompromising quality standards. Industry specific knowledge coupled with technology expertise ensures the manufacturing execution systems are in place to deliver real value for manufacturing business.

The challenge to globalize product development, blend product architectures, manage global inventory and, build and manage a global work force, highlights the need of a domain champion with extensive experience in the automotive eco-system, and with the ability to innovate faster while reducing manufacturing overheads in the automobile industry.

Adapting to speed & technology are the critical factors in every aspect of customers business - new products launches, services, cutting edge technologies, gaming solutions, etc. all of which require excellence in speed. The obvious expected extension is having a partner who would not only comply with the pace but even excel in manufacturing operations management.

Partnering with an organization that offers specialized & niche set of services spanning from Mechanical Engineering Services (Advanced Technology Solutions - Automotive and Semiconductor Solutions), through Enterprise IT & Business Intelligence to Business / Knowledge Process Outsourcing (BPO / KPO) solutions, help manufacturing companies leverage on their past and future IT investments to capture new business opportunities and optimize their Return on Investment (ROI)


SOURCE:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Low-Cost-and-Dependable-Manufacturing-IT-Solutions&id=1602671

Is China Still Competitive for Global Manufacturers?

Did you know that 31 percent of Buyers currently sourcing overseas say that they are researching bringing a portion of their production back to North America? More than 80% of 202 manufacturers surveyed said their primary motive for being in China is to provide products for the Chinese marketplace, up from 71% two years ago.

Having served the world as a manufacturing base for decades, is China still competitive for manufacturers? A number of factors indicate that its competitive lead will be chipped away, not least if the renminbi is allowed to appreciate against the U.S. dollar and costs rise. Some experts predict that low-value-added exporters may be driven elsewhere while manufacturers of high-value-added, complex products for domestic consumption will face even stiffer competition to thrive. Against this backdrop, as a new survey suggests, manufacturers in China are learning quickly about staying competitive in this ever-shifting landscape.

It certainly doesn't help matters much that there's uncertainty and tensions brewing on a number of fronts. Among the foreign IT industry, for example, the ugly exchange between Google and China, and a new rule that stipulates sellers of high-tech goods must contain Chinese intellectual property as part of an "indigenous innovation" campaign, have rattled nerves.

Yet despite all this, experts say there's much that's working in China's favor. Costs are still low and the skills level is high. Meanwhile, the pent-up demand of a potentially huge domestic market combined with improving IT, infrastructure and regulatory regimes all put China well ahead of other low-cost countries.

While the recent announcement of China's first trade deficit since 2004 makes it unlikely that the renminbi will be allowed to appreciate against the U.S. dollar much soon, March's $7.24 billion deficit is also a sign of the fast expansion of China's domestic market. The auto sector, for example, was up 170% in March from the previous month.

China's burgeoning domestic market is indeed a very important allure for many firms, according to the latest China Manufacturing Competitiveness Study published by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) and management consultants at Booz & Company. More than 80% of 202 manufacturers surveyed said their primary motive for being in China is to provide products for the Chinese marketplace, up from 71% two years ago.

While booming local markets are key, there are other reasons for China's appeal, including political stability. A couple of years ago, companies were hedging their bets and adopted a "China plus one" strategy, so that they set up operations in China and in one other nearby country. Many chose Thailand as the second country and the current strife is bad news for businesses there.
The stable currency has also been helpful, adding an element of predictability to budgeting and keeping costs down. Two years ago, the AmCham study found that the rising RMB was the most serious worry for the companies surveyed, but since then government policy has calmed those fears. The AmCham study also notes that "although factories in China are generally still in the early stages of implementing innovative manufacturing practices, these lean techniques and processes are even less prevalent in surrounding low-cost countries."

Lian Hoon Lim, partner and manufacturing expert at AT Kearney consultants, says companies are benefitting from what he calls "the cluster effect," The big three clusters in China are the Yangtze River Delta region around Shanghai, the Pearl River Delta region running from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, and the region around Beijing and its neighbor Tianjin. In these areas companies have access to a "skilled labor, an experienced local managerial workforce, material and component supply, and good infrastructure," says Lim. "If you took those four factors and looked at the countries in Asia, including in the subcontinent, you would find that quite a lot of them lack one or more of these four points."

SOURCE:http://www.articlesbase.com/small-business-articles/is-china-still-competitive-for-global-manufacturers-2833132.html